Turbine shroud mounting apparatus with anti-rotation feature

ABSTRACT

A turbine shroud mounting apparatus includes: (a) a shroud hanger having an arcuate body and including an arcuate first hook which protrudes radially inward and extends axially forward from the body, so as to define a first slot in cooperation with the body; (b) an anti-rotation element disposed within the first slot, the anti-rotation element being integrally formed with the shroud hanger; and (c) an arcuate shroud segment including an arcuate first mounting flange which protrudes radially outward and extends axially aft, the first mounting flange having a receptacle formed therein, where the first mounting flange is received in the first slot and the anti-rotation member is received in the receptacle.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

The U.S. Government may have certain rights in this invention pursuant to contract number N00019-04-C-0093 awarded by the Department of the Navy.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to gas turbine engines and more particularly to methods for mounting components in the turbine sections of such engines.

A gas turbine engine includes a turbomachinery core having a high pressure compressor, combustor, and a high pressure turbine in serial flow relationship. The core is operable in a known manner to generate a primary gas flow. The high pressure turbine includes one or more rotors which extract energy from the primary gas flow. Each rotor comprises an annular array of blades or buckets carried by a rotating disk. The flowpath through the rotor is defined in part by annular shrouds encircling the blades or buckets.

Conventional turbine shrouds are supported by segmented hangers which are in turn mounted to the engine's casing. Shrouds and shroud hangers require an anti-rotation feature to hold the shroud and hanger circumferentially in place. The majority of prior art shrouds utilize a pin press fitted into a hole in a hook of the shroud hanger. The pin interfaces with a notch on the shroud. The pin installation process requires tight tolerances and extra assembly processes that could include an additional braze operation. The pin has also been known to cause maintenance problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other shortcomings of the prior art are addressed by the present invention, which provides a turbine shroud hanger which incorporates an integral anti-rotation element.

According to one aspect of the invention, a turbine shroud mounting apparatus includes: (a) a shroud hanger having an arcuate body and including an arcuate first hook which protrudes radially inward and extends axially forward from the body, so as to define a first slot in cooperation with the body; (b) an anti-rotation element disposed within the first slot, the anti-rotation element being integrally formed with the shroud hanger; and (c) an arcuate shroud segment including an arcuate first mounting flange which protrudes radially outward and extends axially aft, the first mounting flange having a receptacle formed therein, where the first mounting flange is received in the first slot and the anti-rotation member is received in the receptacle.

According to another aspect of the invention, a turbine shroud apparatus for a gas turbine engine includes: (a) a shroud hanger mounted to a casing of the engine, the shroud hanger having an arcuate body and including an arcuate aft hook which protrudes radially inward and extends axially forward from the body, so as to define a first slot in cooperation with the body; (b) an anti-rotation element disposed within the first slot, the anti-rotation element being integrally formed with the shroud hanger; and (c) an arcuate shroud segment including an arcuate first mounting flange which protrudes radially outward and extends axially aft, the first mounting flange having a receptacle formed therein, where the first mounting flange is received in the first slot and the anti-rotation member is received in the receptacle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a high pressure turbine of a gas turbine engine, incorporating a shroud apparatus constructed in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a turbine shroud hanger shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a turbine shroud shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings wherein identical reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the various views, FIG. 1 depicts a portion of a high pressure turbine, which is part of a gas turbine engine of a known type. The function of the high pressure turbine is to extract energy from high-temperature, pressurized combustion gases from an upstream combustor 10 and to convert the energy to mechanical work. The high pressure turbine drives an upstream compressor (not shown) through a shaft so as to supply pressurized air to the combustor 10.

In the illustrated example, the engine is a turbofan engine and a low pressure turbine would be located downstream of the high pressure turbine 10 and coupled to a shaft driving a fan and optionally a low-pressure compressor or “booster”. However, the principles described herein are equally applicable to turboprop, turbojet, and turboshaft engines, as well as turbine engines used for other vehicles or in stationary applications.

The high pressure turbine includes a nozzle 12 which comprises an array of circumferentially spaced airfoil-shaped hollow vanes 14 that are supported between an arcuate, segmented outer band 16 and an arcuate, segmented inner band 18. The vanes 14, outer band 16 and inner band 18 are arranged into a plurality of circumferentially adjoining nozzle segments that collectively form a complete 360° assembly. The outer and inner bands 16 and 18 define the outer and inner radial flowpath boundaries, respectively, for the hot gas stream flowing through the nozzle 12. The vanes 14 are configured so as to optimally direct the combustion gases to a rotor 20.

The rotor 20 includes a array of airfoil-shaped turbine blades 22 extending outwardly from a disk 24 that rotates about the centerline axis of the engine. A shroud comprising a plurality of arcuate shroud segments 26 is arranged so as to closely surround the turbine blades 22 and thereby define the outer radial flowpath boundary for the hot gas stream flowing through the rotor 20.

The shroud segments 26 are carried by arcuate shroud hangers 28, which are in turn mounted to an annular casing 30. Each shroud hanger 28 includes an arcuate body 32 with opposed inner and outer faces, and forward and aft ends. It is noted that the terms “forward” and “aft” and other similar directional indications are relative and are used herein solely for reference. An arcuate seal lip 34 extends from the forward end and contacts a leaf seal 36 of a known type carried by the outer band 16 of the upstream turbine nozzle 12. An arcuate forward flange 38 with an “L”-shaped cross-section extends radially outward from the forward end of the shroud hanger 28 and engages a slot in the casing 30. An arcuate aft flange 40 with an “L”-shaped cross-section extends radially outward from the aft end of the shroud hanger 28 and engages another slot in the casing 30. An arcuate forward hook 42 disposed at the forward end of the shroud hanger 28 protrudes radially inward and extends axially forward. It defines a forward slot 44 in cooperation with the body 32. An arcuate aft hook 46 disposed at the aft end of the shroud hanger 28 protrudes radially inward and extends axially forward. It defines an aft slot 48 in cooperation with the body 32.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the shroud hanger 28 incorporates a fixed anti-rotation element 50 disposed in the aft slot 48, spanning the distance between the body 32 and the aft hook 46. So long as it is securely fixed in place, the anti-rotation element 50 may be an integral part of the shroud segment 28 or it may be fabricated separately and then securely attached to the shroud hanger 28, for example by welding or brazing. If desired, it could be incorporated in the forward slot 44 instead. In the illustrated example the anti-rotation element 50 is an axially-elongated tab with a radiused forward end. However, any shape which is effective to resist tangential motion of the shroud segment 26 when engaged with a mating feature of the shroud segment 26 may be used. As used herein the term “tangential” refers to motion in or out of the page in FIG. 1.

The shroud hangers 28 may be constructed from a material such as a known cobalt, nickel, or steel-based superalloy which has acceptable strength at the elevated temperatures of operation in a gas turbine engine. Various superalloys are commercially available under trade names such as INCONEL, HASTELLOY, and RENE. The shroud hangers 28 may be formed from castings which are then machined to final dimensions. The aft hooks 46 of the shroud hangers 28 may be formed by machining with an EDM electrode (not shown). EDM is a known process in which an electrode is fed into the workpiece while an electrical potential is applied between the electrode and workpiece. Spark discharge across the gap between workpiece and electrode causes erosion of the workpiece. The anti-rotation element 50 described above may be created by removing a notch or other negative feature of equal shape and size from an EDM electrode used to machine prior art shroud hangers. Once the material has been removed from the electrode, the EDM process is identical to the original hook machining process.

Referring back to FIG. 1, each shroud segment 26 includes an arcuate forward mounting flange 52 disposed at the forward end of the shroud segment 26 which protrudes radially outward and extends axially aft. An arcuate aft mounting flange 54 disposed at the aft end of the shroud segment 26 protrudes radially outward and extends axially aft. As shown in FIG. 3, the shroud segment 26 incorporates a receptacle 56 disposed in the aft mounting flange 54 which has a shape complementary to the anti-rotation element 50. In the illustrated example the receptacle 56 is an axially-elongated notch having parallel sidewalls and a radiused forward end. However, any shape which is effective to resist tangential motion of the shroud segment 26 when engaged with a mating feature of the shroud hanger 28 may be used. The receptacle 56 may be formed in the aft mounting flange 42 using an EDM process as described above.

The shroud segments 26 are assembled to the shroud hangers 28 by engaging the forward mounting flanges 40 with the forward hooks 44 and the aft mounting flanges 42 with the aft hooks 46. The shroud segments 26 are then slid aft so that the receptacles 56 engage the anti-rotation elements 52. FIG. 4 shows the two components in the assembled condition. No further assembly or manufacturing operations are required to provide positive anti-rotation between the shroud segment 26 and the shroud hanger 28.

As compared to a conventional design, the shroud mounting apparatus described herein eliminates extra machining steps, provides for simplified assembly, and reduces part count. The principles described herein may easily be implemented for any turbine shroud that uses an EDM procedure to machine its support hooks.

The foregoing has described a shroud mounting apparatus. While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications thereto can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In particular, the principles of the present invention may be extended to other types of turbine hardware, in particular any assembly of two or more static elements which must be restrained against relative rotation. Accordingly, the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and the best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation. 

1. A turbine shroud mounting apparatus, comprising: (a) a shroud hanger having an arcuate body and including an arcuate first hook which protrudes radially inward and extends axially forward from the body, so as to define a first slot in cooperation with the body; (b) an anti-rotation element disposed within the first slot, the anti-rotation element being integrally formed with the shroud hanger; and (c) an arcuate shroud segment including an arcuate first mounting flange which protrudes radially outward and extends axially aft, the first mounting flange having a receptacle formed therein, where the first mounting flange is received in the first slot and the anti-rotation member is received in the receptacle.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the anti-rotation element spans the entire distance between the body and the first hook.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first hook is disposed at an aft end of the shroud segment.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 further including a second hook disposed at a forward end of the shroud hanger, the second hook protruding radially inward and extending axially forward from the body, so as to define a second slot in cooperation with the body.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the anti-rotation element is an axially-elongated tab with a radiused forward end.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the receptacle is an axially-elongated notch having parallel sidewalls and a radiused forward end.
 7. A turbine shroud apparatus for a gas turbine engine, comprising: (a) a shroud hanger mounted to a casing of the engine, the shroud hanger having an arcuate body and including an arcuate aft hook which protrudes radially inward and extends axially forward from the body, so as to define a first slot in cooperation with the body; (b) an anti-rotation element disposed within the first slot, the anti-rotation element being integrally formed with the shroud hanger; and (c) an arcuate shroud segment including an arcuate first mounting flange which protrudes radially outward and extends axially aft, the first mounting flange having a receptacle formed therein, where the first mounting flange is received in the first slot and the anti-rotation member is received in the receptacle.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the anti-rotation element spans the entire distance between the body and the first hook.
 9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first hook is disposed at an aft end of the shroud segment.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9 further including a second hook disposed at a forward end of the shroud hanger, the second hook protruding radially inward and extending axially forward from the body, so as to define a second slot in cooperation with the body.
 11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the anti-rotation element is an axially-elongated tab with a radiused forward end.
 12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the receptacle is an axially-elongated notch having parallel sidewalls and a radiused forward end.
 13. A static element assembly for a gas turbine engine, comprising: (a) a first static element having an arcuate body and including an arcuate hook which protrudes radially inward and extends axially forward from the body, so as to define a slot in cooperation with the body; (b) an anti-rotation element disposed within the slot, the anti-rotation element being integrally formed with the first static element; and (c) an arcuate second static element including an arcuate mounting flange which protrudes radially outward and extends axially aft, the mounting flange having a receptacle formed therein, where the mounting flange is received in the slot and the anti-rotation member is received in the receptacle.
 14. The assembly of claim 13 wherein the anti-rotation element spans the entire distance between the body and the hook.
 15. The assembly of claim 13 wherein the hook is disposed at an aft end of the first static element.
 16. The assembly of claim 13 wherein the anti-rotation element is an axially-elongated tab with a radiused forward end.
 17. The assembly of claim 13 wherein the receptacle is an axially-elongated notch having parallel sidewalls and a radiused forward end. 